Peter Stormare teases potential Constantine sequel in development

After rumors began swirling earlier this year that a new live-action film centered on the DC Comics character was in the works at Warner Bros. and Bad Robot Productions, Constantine star Peter Stormare has taken to Instagram with the tease a sequel to the Keanu Reeves-starring adaptation is currently in the works.

RELATED: Constantine Director Says Keanu Reeves Has Always Wanted a Sequel

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PeterStormare (@therealstormare)

Based on the DC Comics’ Hellblazer comic book created by Alan Moore, Stephen R. Bissette, and John Ridgway and written by Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis (among other notable writers who have contributed to the series), the 2005 movie adaptation follows John Constantine (Reeves), a cynical supernatural exorcist and demonologist with the ability to perceive and communicate with half-angels and half-demons in their true form. Constantine, who is seeking salvation from eternal damnation in Hell for a suicide attempt in his youth, exorcises demons back to Hell to earn favor with Heaven but has become weary over time. He eventually helps a police detective (Rachel Weisz) to prove her sister’s death was not a suicide while simultaneously unraveling a much larger and darker plot.

Pick up your copy of Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Original Sins here!

The movie, written by Kevin Brodbin and Frank A. Cappello from a story by Kevin Brodbin, also starred Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, and Peter Stormare.

RELATED: Constantine Movie Rumored in Development at Warner Bros.

A rumor recently surfaced that a new live-action film focused on the sorcerer is in development at Warner Bros. Though it’s currently unclear as to who would star in the film as Constantine, given the recent cult following surrounding Reeves’ initially derided outing and his resurgence in popularity at the box office with the John Wick franchise and the forthcoming The Matrix 4 and Bill and Ted Face the Music, as well as the 55-year-old’s continued desire to reprise the role, it’s entirely possible WB would look to him to star in the film.

The post Peter Stormare Teases Potential Constantine Sequel in Development appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

The Plane: Solstice Studios acquires Gerard Butler action pic

A mere 24 hours after Lionsgate dropped the project due to an inability to acquire COVID insurance for the production, the Gerard Butler (Greenland)-led action pic The Plane is gearing up for take off again as Solstice Studios has acquired the rights to the film, according to Deadline.

RELATED: The Plane: Lionsgate Exits Gerard Butler-Led Action Film

Following Lionsgate’s departure from the film, CAA Media Finance and MadRiver International confirmed to sources they would still be moving forward with the project and search for another distributor that could provide the extra finances for pandemic insurance.

Solstice, whose first film was also the first new film to hit theaters amidst the global pandemic with the Russell Crowe-led Unhinged and recently acquired the Mark Wahlberg Oscar hopeful Joe Bell, is self-insuring the production as the studio hopes to continue their theatrical release streak. Plans are for Butler to shoot another film, Kandahar, in the United Arab Emirates in January followed by The Plane at an estimated June 28, 2021 production start.

The Plane centers around a commercial pilot named Ray Torrance, who, after a heroic job of successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, finds himself caught between the agendas of multiple militias that are planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.

RELATED: Gerard Butler’s Disaster Film Greenland Heads Straight to PVOD

The film will be directed by Christian Gudegast, who have previously worked together with Butler on 2016’s London Has Fallen. It is co-written by Charles Cumming and JP Davis, based on a story by Cumming and Gudegast. The Plane will be produced by Butler and Alan Siegel through their G-Base banner along with MadRiver Pictures’ Marc Butan and Ara Keshishian. Di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonvaventura and Mark Vahradian will also be serving as producers.

(Photo Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

The post The Plane: Solstice Studios Acquires Gerard Butler Action Pic appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Zack Snyder only filmed four minutes of new Justice League footage

Earlier this year, Zack Snyder got a lot of fans excited when it was announced that he would be re-assembling a few key Justice League cast members to finally finish his version of the film, which is coming to HBO Max next year. At least five actors were called back for reshoots in Los Angeles. However, it turns out their new scenes won’t be adding much to the final runtime.

Snyder recently appeared on Beyond the Trailer (via Heroic Hollywood) to discuss how his Justice League cut was coming along. Surprisingly, he revealed that he only shot a few minutes of new footage for the film.

“I think it’s valid, on one hand though,” said Snyder. “I will say that in the end it’s going to probably be about four minutes or five minutes of additional photography for the entire movie. In the four hours that is Justice League, maybe four minutes.”

Reps for Warner Bros. previously relayed that they would be giving Snyder millions of dollars to finalize his cut of Justice League. In September, The Wrap reported that the budget was estimated to be around $70 million. It’s not clear how much of this went toward the L.A. reshoots, which reportedly took only a week to finish. There’s also the matter of special effects work that still needs to be completed.

RELATED: CS Soapbox: How Jared Leto’s Joker Fits Into Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), and Ray Fisher (Cyborg) were among those who filmed new scenes last month. The shoot also had Jared Leto and Joe Manganiello return to reprise their DCEU roles as the Joker and Deathstroke. During DC FanDome, Snyder also confirmed that he’s giving Fisher’s Cyborg a meatier role after most of his scenes were cut when Joss Whedon took over the movie.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League will premiere as a four-hour miniseries on HBO Max in 2021.

What are your thoughts on Snyder only shooting a few new minutes of footage for the film? Give us your take in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: Justice League Vol. 1: The Totality

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The post Zack Snyder Only Filmed Four Minutes of New Justice League Footage appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Brad Pitt-starring Bullet Train rounds out cast with Zazie Beetz

The upcoming action pic Bullet Train led by Brad Pitt (Ad Astra) has officially rounded out its cast with the addition of Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz, marking an Atlanta reunion with recently cast Brian Tyree Henry and Deadpool 2 reunion with director David Leitch, according to Deadline.

RELATED: Brian Tyree Henry Jumps Aboard David Leitch’s Bullet Train

Bullet Train will mark the eighth collaboration between Leitch (Hobbs & Shaw) and Pitt, who first worked together in 1999 on Fight Club on which Leitch worked as an uncredited stunt double for Pitt, followed by 2001’s The Mexican, Ocean’s Eleven and Spy Game, the latter two in which he doubled again for Pitt and helped coordinate the martial arts stunts on the Tony Scott-helmed film. Leitch would once again double for Pitt in 2004’s Troy and 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith and would later reunite with the star in 2018’s Deadpool 2, in which Pitt cameoed as Vanisher and Leitch directed.

On top of directing, Leitch will supervise the script written by Zak Olkewicz (Fear Street). Plot details for the film are currently being kept under wraps, but it is based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Isaka Kotaro. The cast for the film, led by Pitt, already includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Andrew Koji (Warrior) and Joey King (The Lie).

Leitch and Kelly McCormick will produce the project via their company 87North along with Antoine Fuqua (The Magnificent Seven, Training Day, The Equalizer) and Kat Samick (The Equalizer, Southpaw, Infinite). Brittany Morrissey is the executive overseeing the film for Sony Pictures.

RELATED: Joey King in Talks for Brad Pitt-Starring Bullet Train

Leitch and McCormick recently signed a first-look deal at Universal and produced the action film Nobody, starring Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk, which is expected to release in February 2021. The duo is also developing a biopic of Jutta Kleinschmidt, the first and only woman to win the brutal off-road endurance race known as The Dakar Rally, as well as the rights to her book My Victory at Dakar.

(Photo Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images)

The post Brad Pitt-Starring Bullet Train Rounds Out Cast With Zazie Beetz appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

BEGIN SLIDESHOW

POLL: Stream or theatrical for Wonder Woman 1984?

Rumors are swirling that Warner Bros. is considering a shortened theatrical release for its highly-anticipated Wonder Woman 1984, followed by an HBO Max debut in January. They are also supposedly considering an alternate plan where they push the film to the crowded Summer 2021 where many of 2020’s other rescheduled blockbusters are. ComingSoon.net is asking our readers to voice their opinion on what kind of release they’d like to see for the DC Extended Universe sequel! Let us know your thoughts in the poll below as well as tell us what you think in the comments below!

RELATED: Will Wonder Woman 1984 Jump to HBO Max in January?

Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big-screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah. With director Patty Jenkins back at the helm and Gal Gadot returning in the title role, Wonder Woman 1984 is Warner Bros. Pictures’ follow up to the DC Super Hero’s first outing, 2017’s record-breaking Wonder Woman.

The film also stars Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Kristen Wiig as The Cheetah, Pedro Pascal as Max Lord, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta. Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, and Stephen Jones are producing the film. Rebecca Steel Roven Oakley, Richard Suckle, Marianne Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, and Wesley Coller are the executive producers. Patty Jenkins directed from a screenplay she wrote with Geoff Johns & David Callaham, story by Jenkins & Johns, based on characters from DC.

RELATED: Wonder Woman 1984 Products Revealed by Warner Bros.

The sequel was originally intended to be released in 2019 but was then delayed to June 5, 2020. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, the film was then pushed back to two times to August and October before finally landing on its current December 25, 2020 release.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  24
  images

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The post POLL: Stream or Theatrical for Wonder Woman 1984? appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

CS Interview: Saoirse Ronan Talks Docudrama Romance Ammonite

Ammonite is now playing in theaters and, based on critical reactions, already looks like an Oscar contender. To celebrate the film’s release, we spoke with the great Saoirse Ronan, who dropped some interesting insights into the production, her chemistry with Kate Winslet and the challenges of working on the film.

RELATED: Blackbird Trailer Starring Susan Sarandon & Kate Winslet

Set in 1840s England, Ammonite follows the story of an acclaimed but unrecognised fossil hunter Mary Anning works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte, she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.

The film is being produced by Iain Canning (Widows) and Emile Sherman (Lion) alongside Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Lady Macbeth). It is a production by See-Saw Films with Winslet, Simon Gillis, Mary Burke, Rose Garnett and Zygi Kamasa set as executive producers.

RELATED: The French Dispatch Trailer for Wes Anderson’s Latest!

Ronan is an Oscar nominee for her performances in Atonement, Brooklyn, and Lady Bird, for which she won the Golden Globe. She recently earned her fourth Oscar nomination at the young age of 25 for her performance as Jo March in  Greta Gerwig’s Little Women.  Both Winslet and Ronan are part of the star-studded ensemble cast of Wes Anderson’s upcoming drama The French Dispatch. 

ComingSoon.net: Congratulations on the film! I thought it was a really good movie. You delivered a great performance and your onscreen chemistry with Kate Winslet was fantastic.

Saoirse Ronan: Oh thank you.

CS: How did you craft that natural chemistry you two display on screen together?

Ronan: Well, I guess that’s it. It’s kind of a natural thing and you’re either looking to find it with the person you’re working with or not really. And I mean, we both knew going into it that we got on with one another because we had met randomly over the course of a few years, just through press junkets and roundtables. And we did a photoshoot together, an actor photoshoot thing. And so, yeah, and we have a few friends in common and things like that. And [Peter] Jackson obviously loves her from Heavenly Creatures, so I’d spent a lot of time hearing only lovely things about Kate [while filming The Lovely Bones]. And yeah, and we sort of, we knew that in terms of the way we work and our sort of wavelength we’re on, we’re very similar. And so, yeah, so we just kind of got on straight away. And I just constantly ripped the piss out of her, really, and she’s a really good sport. She lets me do it.

CS: How did you get involved with Ammonite?

Ronan: I mean, I think Kate might’ve put me forward for it. I think she definitely pushed me to Francis. He had no choice. So she was incredibly supportive in terms of me taking on the role of Charlotte. And yeah, and it was during the “Little Women” shoot that I received the script and read it on one of my days off. And I think because I was on something at the time that was so kind of action-packed in a way, there was a lot of energy, there were a lot of actors within one scene and a lot of talking, a lot of overlapping, there was just in general, bursts of energy on Little Women on the set. And I guess I was drawn towards something to follow that up with, which was quieter and a little bit more stretched back. Well, not stretched back, but scaled down. And the script came along, and Kate was already attached. And I had really loved God’s Own Country when it came out, when I saw it. And so, Francis was someone I was interested in working with. And you know, it was very conscious, as great as it is to do the slightly bigger indie films as well, to still do the smaller films that I’ve kind of grown up doing, because that’s, yeah, they’re the kind of sets I really love being on. So yeah, so I think that’s why I was drawn to it. And then, Francis and I had extensive conversations about it on the phone. And I spoke to Kate quite a few times about it. And yeah, and then we did it a few months later, and it was great. It was nice to essentially do like a two-hander with someone you know.

CS: There’s very little dialogue in the film. Did you find that aspect challenging or rewarding? And what kind of difficulties lie in that style of filmmaking?

Ronan: Yeah, I mean, it can be challenging. You know, as I said, especially when you’ve been doing some of that sort of really based on dialogue and text, and I mean, I love doing both. When I was younger, especially with things like Atonement and Hanna and a lot of stuff that I did when I was a child, I didn’t really speak that much. So for a long time, I think my safe space was characters that didn’t really speak that much. I think I now really love doing both, once the writing is great, because there’s nothing worse than, you know, bad dialogue that you’re being forced to say. But yeah, it was this incredibly quiet film. And it was fine that it was frustrating because I think that was the point  — and I experienced this even with something like Brooklyn, when you’re doing something that’s set in a certain time period and you’re trying to convey an emotion and you can’t really express that through language, you do become quite restrained, and in the way you are and probably even in just the type of emotion that you get out of yourself.

And that’s the way Charlotte needed to be. She really needs to be in this very low, almost kind of normal state when we meet her. And then, she very, very gradually, very, very slowly starts to come out of that. So yeah, it was challenging because I’d come off of something that was so like, words, words, words, and you know, throw your arms around and move in whatever way I wanted. I had complete freedom in that way. And then, for the first time ever, really, was playing the woman in the period piece that had the pretty dresses on and the pretty — or weird, but pretty — hair and the corsets, and I was very restrained in the way I moved. And that was very new territory for me.

CS: How familiar were you with Mary Anning’s story before you began filming? 

Ronan: I wasn’t familiar with her at all, but I do know a 10-year-old who was obsessed with fossils. And before I went off to make the film, I said, “Yeah, I’m going to do this film and it’s about a woman who was a paleontologist. She’s a fossil hunter.” He was like, “Is it Mary Anning?” So a 10-year-old friend of mine knew it before I did. But I mean, people have responded to this film in different ways. For some people, the fact that we’re following two women in it in a romantic relationship is incredibly important for them. For others, it’s something else. I mean, for me personally, the thing that I really love about the film is the honoring of the work that Mary Anning did.

She was really an incredible woman, and there were only a few of her around at that time. But nobody was making strides. No other woman was making strides, really, in the way that she was in that field. And she was completely overlooked for so long. And I think the more research that I did into her, the more I really appreciated and respected the manual labor that this woman did in order to then make something that was really precious and beautiful and polished and kind of delicate. And I really like that sort of contrast in this woman’s work, where she would literally climb up a cliff face and pull or dig a rock out of the cliff face, take it home and chisel away at it and polish it and turn it into something really beautiful. And so, for me, when I watch the movie and when we were making it and seeing the work that Kate was even doing to sort of convey that, I more than anything else walked away with so much respect for the work that this woman did.

CS: So how important and/or relevant is a film like Ammonite in today’s society?

Ronan: Oh I mean, it sounds important and relevant as any other film that’s out there, you know? I mean, there’s obviously a reason why we all responded to it, and audiences seemed to be responding to it pretty well. And I think it’s, you know, whether it’s a man or a woman, it’s always really fascinating to watch someone who was essentially a loner and sort of an outcast in society and see how they live their life, their private life. And when you bring another character into that, that would allow the audience to experience that through this other character. So Charlotte, in this case. That’s really fascinating. As I said, I mean, I think the thing for me certainly, as a young woman who works and who has grown up in a world of creativity and collaboration and working very intimately with other people, I really, really enjoy it, you know, coming together and watching a film that shines a light on that process, every intricate process. But you know, I think it’s just relevant in a sense that it’s a deeply sensitive film.

CS: You mentioned working with Francis Lee. What kind of freedoms did he give you on set? And were you surprised at all by his style? Or was it different from other directors you’ve worked with in the past?

Ronan: Yeah, I mean, I feel like every director is quite different in their own way. They always kind of introduce you to a slightly new way of doing things or working or viewing a story or just finding a new method to use that you can get into a character’s head. And I think for Francis, one of the things that he spends a lot of time on is the sort of lead-up to the film and the conversation that you have with him before the actual shoot begins. So we spent a lot of time in the months leading up to the shoot talking on the phone and you know, I went out and did piano lessons and did cross-stitch, which was very exciting. And yeah, and so, we had just a lot of conversations, really. And he encouraged me to keep a diary of Charlotte and just sort of immerse myself in this imagined life. Because this is a sort of imagined story, you know, based on these women, but yeah. We were sort of given a bit more artistic freedom in that sense. And yeah, and you know, he definitely had a very clear vision in terms of how he wanted the film to look, and the kind of energy he wanted us to bring to it was very, very specific. It did need to be quite contained. So I think definitely for me, that was a challenge. But knowing that, he was dead set on that meant that I had this kind of anchor, which was great.

• 
• 
  2
  images

The post CS Interview: Saoirse Ronan Talks Docudrama Romance Ammonite appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

BEGIN SLIDESHOW

Chris Pratt reportedly joining Thor: Love and Thunder!

Last we saw Marvel’s God of Thunder, he was heading off to space with everyone’s beloved Guardians of the Galaxy and now The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Guardians leader Chris Pratt is heading to Australia for filming on the highly-anticipated Thor: Love and Thunder!

RELATED: Kat Dennings Doesn’t Think She’ll Be Back For Thor: Love and Thunder

Pratt, who is currently gearing up for a “short round” of additional photography on Chris McKay’s sci-fi action pic The Tomorrow War, will head to Australia for production on the fourth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor franchise in January, though the extent of his involvement in the story is currently unknown.

Thor: Love and Thunder will be directed by Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) on a script co-written by him and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great), which will be the followup to Waititi’s wildly successful 2017 sequel Thor: Ragnarok. Oscar-winner Natalie Portman is set to return as Jane and will now be wielding the mighty Mjolnir. Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will also return as Thor and Valkyrie, respectively. Academy Award winner Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy) will portray the main antagonist in the film. The female Thor storyline is based on Jason Aaron’s run on “The Mighty Thor” in which a cancer-stricken Jane Foster takes up the mantle and powers of Thor.

Thor and Valkyrie were last seen in this year’s highest-grossing film of all time Avengers: Endgame, with the god of thunder entrusting his responsibilities as the King of Asgard to Valkyrie as he joins the Guardians of the Galaxy on their next mission. According to Vin Diesel, the Guardians might also make an appearance in the fourth Thor film.

RELATED: Taika Waititi Clarifies Plans for Star Wars and Akira

Originally set to debut on November 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder will now be arriving in theaters on March 25, 2022.

The post Chris Pratt Reportedly Joining Thor: Love and Thunder! appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Lilo & Stitch: Jon M. Chu in Talks to Helm Live-Action Remake

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, Willow) is currently in negotiations to direct a live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch for Disney. Mike Van Waes reportedly wrote the current draft of the film and the search for a screenwriter to collaborate with Chu on the project is now underway.

RELATED: Jon M. Chu Tapped to Helm Willow Series With Davis & Howard Returning!

The original animated film, written and directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, is a Hawaii-centric story told of the bond formed between a lonely human girl named Lilo and a dog-like alien named Stitch, who is engineered to be a force of destruction. Pursuing aliens, social workers, and the idea of the bond of a family all figure into the proceedings.

Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback (Aladdin) will produce with Rideback’s Ryan Halprin executive producing. Disney has not yet confirmed whether the live-action remake will be released theatrically or on the Disney+ streamer.

RELATED: Disney+ Developing Darkwing Duck Series Reboot

The 2002 Lilo & Stitch’s voice cast included Chris Sanders, Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, Ving Rhames, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Jason Scott Lee, Zoe Caldwell, and Kevin Michael Richardson. The movie earned $273.1 million at the box office and launched several direct-to-video sequels in addition to many television series.

The post Lilo & Stitch: Jon M. Chu in Talks to Helm Live-Action Remake appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

CS Video: Come Away Interview With Director Brenda Chapman

Ahead of its theatrical and digital debut, ComingSoon.net got the opportunity to chat with Oscar-winning director Brenda Chapman (Brave) to discuss her live-action directorial debut with the fantasy family drama Come Away. Our interview can be viewed in the player below!

RELATED: Come Away Trailer: Angelina Jolie-Led Fantasy Film Sets November Debut

In this imaginative origin story of two of the most beloved characters in literature – Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland – eight-year-old Alice, her mischievous brother Peter and their brilliant older sibling David let their imaginations run wild one blissful summer in the English countryside. Encouraged by their parents Jack and Rose, the kids’ make-believe tea parties, sword fights and pirate ship adventures come to an abrupt end when tragedy strikes. Peter, eager to prove himself a hero to his grief-stricken and financially-struggling parents, journeys with Alice to London, where they try to sell a treasured heirloom to the sinister pawnshop owner known as C.J. Returning home, Alice seeks temporary refuge in a wondrous rabbit hole while Peter permanently escapes reality by entering a magical realm as leader of the “Lost Boys.”

Click here to rent the film!

Come Away will be led by newcomers Jordan A. Nash and Keira Chansa along with Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie (Maleficent), and Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo. It will also feature Anna Chancellor, Clarke Peters, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Caine, David Gyasi, and Reece Yates.

The fantasy film marks Brenda Chapman’s first live-action feature after being known for her works in animated films such as The Prince of Egypt and Brave. The latter earned an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, making Chapman the first female director to win in that category.

RELATED: Disney Taps Yara Shahidi for Tinker Bell in Live-Action Peter Pan

Come Away is written by Marissa Kate Goodhill with Leesa Kahn, Andrea Keir, Oyelowo and James Spring serving as producers. The film had its world premiere earlier this year at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is now in select theaters and on digital platforms!

The post CS Video: Come Away Interview With Director Brenda Chapman appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

CS Score Chats with Composer John Debney!

Here’s something you film score fans should absolutely love: to promote the release of Netflix’s Christmas film Jingle Jangle, CS Score got the amazing opportunity to talk with legendary film composer John Debney! This legendary artist has composed some of the greatest scores of the last three decades, including Hocus Pocus, Cutthroat Island, The Passion of the Christ and many others. All told, he has over 215 credits to his name and is set to compose the upcoming Home Alone reboot; and will (hopefully) compose the music for Hocus Pocus 2. At any rate, the interview is an interesting read and provides a few insights into his composing process,

Also, since we’re still waiting for new soundtracks to hit the shelves, we’ll offer a brief look at a couple of new releases from La La Land Records and Intrada, including Michael Kamen’s Lethal Weapon soundtrack collection, the expanded release of James Horner’s The Land Before Time and the re-release of Jerry Goldsmith’s Hoosiers.

Let’s do this.

LETHAL WEAPON SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION
Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn

La La Land Records’ Lethal Weapon box set came out some time ago and quickly sold out due to limited quantities. Thankfully, the site has re-released the epic collection (again, in limited quantities) just in time for the holiday season and, oh boy, it’s a doozy. Each film in Richard Donner’s iconic series gets its own expanded 2CD release presented in their original assemblies, including the previously unreleased Lethal Weapon 4. The release even features the handful of songs used in the films from the likes of Sting, Elton John George Harrison, The Beach Boys, and Bobby Helms. Additionally, the set comes with a 40-page booklet detailing the Lethal Weapon film series, Kamen’s music, and detailed info about the scores.

Lethal Weapon 3 is probably the best of the bunch mainly due to the extraordinary action track, “Gun Battle,” which is as high-octane an action piece as you’re likely to ever find. A majority of the cues on all the albums consist of David Sanborn’s saxophone, which varies between playful and overtly dramatic; and while neither score offers much differentiation between the other (all four Lethal Weapons more or less follow the same beats and the score echoes their style), even with the latter two leaning more into the comic sensibilities of Donner’s films, each presents an entertaining amount of music worthy of a place on every soundtrack collector’s shelf.

[Note: I’ll do a more comprehensive deep dive into this release in the near future once I’ve had more time to soak it all in!]

Purchase the Lethal Weapon Soundtrack Collection here while supplies last!

You can also pre-order the collection here!

THE LAND BEFORE TIME (EXPANDED)
James Horner

James Horner was the master manipulator and his score for Don Bluth’s animated classic, The Land Before Time, remains one of the more memorable “sad scores” of his illustrious career. The composer liked to write long compositions and basically stuffs the dinosaur flick with wall-to-wall music that seesaws back and forth from family adventure and heartbreaking drama throughout its 74-minute runtime. Seriously, listen to track “Whispering Winds” (particularly the music around the 7-minute mark) and try not to … ah … feel some sort of emotion. (No, I’m not crying. It’s just onions.)

Intrada’s new expanded release offers two new cues to the already excellent original soundtrack release, titled “Journey of the Dinosaurs” and “Separate Paths,” both of which are considerable in length (7-8 minutes apiece) and feature some of the film’s best music. Also included on the disc is Diana Ross’ hit song, “If We Hold On Together.”

The Land Before Time released in 1988 during one of Horner’s most vibrant years during which he scored Willow, Red Heat, Vibes, Cocoon: The Return and Andy Colby’s Incredible Adventure. And while some may claim An American Tale as his animated-film-score magnum opus, The Land Before Time confidently stands as one of the finest animated film scores ever composed; and serves as a true testament to Horner’s greatness.

Purchase The Land Before Time here while supplies last!

You can also order the album here!

HOOSIERS
Jerry Goldsmith

Hoosiers remains one of the great sports films thanks to solid turns from Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper, smart writing that emphasized character over sports-movie tropes, and Jerry Goldsmith’s fantastic score. The composer would work with the same team years later on Rudy, which would bring about one of his greatest film scores; and while the score for Hoosiers never quite reaches the same heights, it offers enough rousing, goosebumps inducing moments and emotional cues to stand as a worthy addition to the legendary composer’s vast filmography.

This re-release of the 2012 complete score features cues not heard on the original soundtrack album, notably the tracks “No More Basketball,” “Town Meeting,” and “Get the Ball.” Even better, the score is presented on the soundtrack as heard in the film and not blended together in frustrating suites as it was on the original soundtrack release. Where the original soundtrack offered 39 minutes of Goldsmith’s work, this edition presents a whopping 60 minutes of music for soundtrack collectors to enjoy.

Purchase Hoosiers here while supplies last!

You can also order the original soundtrack here!

Interview with Composer John Debney
Jingle Jangle & Come Away

A musical adventure and a visual spectacle for the ages, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a wholly fresh and spirited family holiday event. Set in the gloriously vibrant town of Cobbleton, the film follows legendary toymaker Jeronicus Jangle (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker) whose fanciful inventions burst with whimsy and wonder. But when his trusted apprentice (Emmy winner Keegan-Michael Key) steals his most prized creation, it’s up to his equally bright and inventive granddaughter (newcomer Madalen Mills) — and a long-forgotten invention — to heal old wounds and reawaken the magic within.

From the imagination of writer-director David E. Talbert and featuring original songs by John Legend, Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, and “This Day” performed by Usher and Kiana Ledé, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey reminds us of the strength of family and the power of possibility.

RELATED: Jeffrey Dahmer Limited Series in the Works From Netflix & Ryan Murphy

The cast also includes Sharon Rose, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, Kieron Dyer, Justin Cornwell, Lisa Davina Phillip, and Hugh Bonneville.

The movie was produced by Lyn Sisson-Talbert, p.g.a., David E. Talbert, p.g.a., Kristin Burr, p.g.a., John Legend, Mike Jackson, and David McIlvain.

ComingSoon.net: How did you get involved with Jingle Jangle? 

John Debney: Well, like a lot of things in our business, I was contacted through my agent regarding Jingle Jangle. And was sent the script, read the script and absolutely fell in love with it. I fell in love with the characters, with the emotional arc of the story, took a meeting or two with David E. Talbert, our wonderful director, and we sort of hit it off. We just sort of connected and I sent him a bunch of my music to listen to. And one of my scores that he loved was Come Away, which I had just finished. So he told me that he loved Come Away and he loved the attitude and the emotionality of the music. So he hired me and here we are. We went on this wonderful journey together.

CS: You’ve worked on musicals in the past, but how difficult is it for a composer to tackle something like this? Do you write the score around the songs or vice versa?

Debney: Well, that’s a great question. You know, as I did with Greatest Showman, the songs were written ahead of time, obviously because they have to shoot through the songs and stuff. So I had listened to all of the songs, fell in love with them. And my job then was to kind of stitch it all together, to infuse in areas of the film, infuse them as bond melodies. And in other places, you know, create new melodies for our characters. And it wasn’t unlike Greatest Showman, where I had that kind of make it all a unified whole. You know, one of the things that David didn’t want was the score to not relate to the songs and vice versa. So there are many times when I would play into a song or out of a song or even on top of a song, and you know, creating arrangements of the songs for the film as it were. And yeah, so it was like that. It was sort of a big quilt that sort of helped it stitch together, but all the while, with all this great material, the songs are so wonderful. And so, yeah, and my job was maybe easier because of these great songs, I must say.

CS: One of my favorite cues from the film is the big tunnel sequence where the kids are riding down on the cart with the robot fleeing from a giant wall of fire. It’s a really intense sequence. And obviously, there’s an infinite amount of ways you could score that moment. How do you settle on the mood and style for each particular sequence?

Debney: That’s a great question. That’s one of my favorite sequences, too, the big tunnel sequence. And you know, David and I worked really hard on that sequence for just the reason that you sort of alluded to. You know, David wanted an adventurous, exciting … he wanted it a little bit dangerous. And then ultimately, you know, he wanted it to sort of soar and be grand when they take off on their sled and they’re heading towards the way out, heading down the tunnel. So in every step of that section of that film, in that section of the score, we were very cognizant of keeping the adventure up, keeping the pace up, keeping the threat up when we needed to. But yeah, to have a little fun with it all, too, which was really important, and thank you for mentioning that cue. That’s one of my favorite scenes.

CS: You’ve composed heavy dramas such as The Passion of the Christ and Hacksaw Ridge with Mel Gibson, and then also lighter fare like Ice Age and Hocus Pocus. Is there a particular style that you gravitate to a little bit more or that excites you or challenges you more than any other?

Debney: Well, thank you for that question. Yeah, I’ve really been the luckiest guy in the world, that I’ve been able to do many different genres of film. But to answer your question, I think the kinds of films that when I loved the most and sort of speak to my heart are films like Jingle Jangle and Come Away, where there’s a deep emotional storyline between people, between family members. That’s where my heart is. I did a movie years ago called Dragonfly, I don’t know if anybody remembers that film —

CS: With Kevin Costner, right?

Debney: Yeah, with Kevin Costner. And it’s kind of an underrated film. I just loved the film. I like films that speak to the heart. And those are my favorite kinds of films, the ones that can touch your heart and you can have a little fun along the way. Elf is a good example, where you have a tremendous amount of fun, but then there’s also that wonderful end of that movie where it gets very big and emotional. I love those kinds of movies. Those are my favorites.

CS: Speaking of that, you talked about Come Away, and that’s a film that perfectly encapsulates everything you’re talking about in that it blends fantasy with real-life drama. You’ve got pirates. You’ve got Alice in Wonderland. You’ve got Peter Pan. You have all these different elements working together. How difficult is it to try to balance the drama with the more adventurous stuff that you like to do?

Debney: Well, great question, too. That one, you’re right. Everything that I love was in Come Away. You have the fantasy. You have the emotional drama. And then, you have pirates — honestly, it’s certainly a composer’s dream to be able to write music for Peter Pan and write music for Alice in Wonderland and the like. So for me, it opened up my floodgates as Jingle Jangle did, where it just gave me such a high working on both those films. On Come Away I also had a wonderful director by the name of Brenda Chapman, who couldn’t have been more lovely and collaborative. And then, in the case of Come Away, this amazing cast. So it was just a joy to do it. Was it daunting? Yes. I’m just trying to make music for iconic characters that everyone knows like Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, which, in the case of that film, could be daunting. But it also kind of gets my creative juices flowing. And for me, it’s much easier when I have something so rich like Come Away or Jingle Jangle to work with. It’s a joy. It’s a real joy. So I didn’t stress too much about it. It was just sort of a joyful experience on both films.

CS: At this point in your career, how much direction do you need? Are you able to watch a film and write the score without too much guidance? Do directors trust you to do what you want to do?

Debney: Oh gosh. I wish that were the case. That’s very rare. And honestly, I think it’s essential to get in the trenches with the directors and really get to know them and really get to know their likes and dislikes. And it’s very important. It’s as important that a director tells you what they don’t like as well as what they do like. I hope that makes sense. In other words, that’s the only way for me as a composer to really hone in on what the emotion is they’re looking for. So anyway, it’s essential. I wish I could say that I’ve been hired on films where they just sort of leave me alone and let me do what I do, but it’s rare and I don’t think that that’s realistic. Maybe someday they’ll do that, but I like the interaction with the director, to be honest. I really do.

CS: You mentioned how you like to score the emotion of a film. So, is that your ultimate goal with each project you work on — to really bring out the emotional points of the story?

Debney: Oh honestly, I’m a big softie. You know, my director David E. Talbert, who’s now really my brother, I call him, he laughed because he just thinks I’m the biggest softie there is. And I lead with my heart, honestly. Sometimes that gets you in trouble, because sometimes I won’t try to play the emotionality of a scene or a part of the story. And I have a tendency to go a little overboard. And that’s when again, that’s when a great director will pull you back a little bit or kind of guide you through the process. But with Mel Gibson, every director’s different by the way. With Mel, it’s a great relationship where I can look over at Mel and if he’s got a certain look on his face, I know he’s not digging it. So that then tells me, well, I’ve got to go back to the drawing board. So but to answer your question, yeah, I lead with my heart. I always try to get into that part of the movie. Usually, that’s the part of movies that also appeals to audiences, to be honest with you. I think most audiences get led by their heart, too.

CS: Mel Gibson is working on a Passion of the Christ sequel and there is a sequel to Hocus Pocus coming as well. Are you involved with those projects at this point?

Debney: I know they’re happening. I have — honestly, I’m just being completely frank. I would love to work on both of those. You know, Adam Shankman is directing Hocus Pocus 2. He’s a friend of mine. We’ve worked together a couple of times. I’m hopeful. Nothing’s in writing or stone, but I’m crossing my toes and my fingers and we’ll see what happens. But the pandemic has kind of slowed the process down a bit. But I’m hopeful. I’m hopeful.

CS: Can you discuss any of the other projects that you’re working on at the moment? Because you’re attached to the Home Alone reboot and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Have you begun work on any of those?

Debney: Yes, I’d love to talk about those. So, Clifford the Big Red Dog, we’re already finished with that. It’s a wonderful interpretation of the classic children’s story. And it turned out great. It just turned out great. I think it comes out next year sometime. Home Alone, they’re still building. And for me, the Home Alone reboot is the bucket list item for me, because I’ll confess that John Williams is probably my favorite living film composer, and the idea that I might follow in his footsteps with something that he’s done magnificently is a sheer joy and an exciting proposition. But I have started working on it. We’ve done some initial work on a song.

CS: I have to ask just as a fan, what’s your favorite score that you’ve worked on and why is it Cutthroat Island?

Debney: Wow. That’s a good one. You know, people always ask, if you’re lucky, if you’re so lucky like me to have been doing what you do for a while, you know, you get to look back a bit. And I have so many favorites, I must tell you. It’s like children. How do you decide which is your favorite child, you know? I’ll tell you some of my favorites. Jingle Jangle has to be on my top five. Maybe near the top. I think The Passion, only because of the work that Mel and I did together. Of course Cutthroat Island. That was my first big, huge adventure film score. But there are others that mean a lot to me. Hocus Pocus means a lot to me, just because that was my real break into films. And then, I guess I’d round out the top five with Elf. How about that?

CS: That’s perfect.

Debney: That’s my friend, Jon Favreau, we’ve done, I think, five films together. And I’ve seen him go from the guy on Elf who had his first really big film that I did with him, to the Jon Favreau that we know is in the league of all of the greats, like Spielberg, Zemeckis and other great storytellers. So I would say, I have a number of favorites, I would say those could be my five top ones.

CS: That’s awesome. I appreciate you answering my question. I’ll let you go. I know you’re busy. But I really appreciate you sitting down and talking to me. This was like a wonderful treat. I could talk to you all day, to tell you the truth.

Debney: Oh thanks, man. Let’s do it again.

The post CS Score Chats with Composer John Debney! appeared first on ComingSoon.net.